Can you keep chickens in Borough of Old Tappan, NJ?
Only with a Board of Health license, which costs $50 a year for non-business keeping. The coop must sit at least 50 feet from any dwelling unit, 200 feet from any food establishment and 10 feet from any property line, and crowing roosters are banned.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | No stated limit |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required: $50 annual license for other than business purposes |
| Coop setback | 50 ft from any dwelling unit, 200 ft from any food establishment, 10 ft from any property line |
| Lot size | No minimum stated |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- All live poultry must be confined in coops or runs, built apart from any dwelling.
- Coops need concrete floors kept clean and dry, roosts and drop boards, and droppings removed at least weekly.
- Bird density is capped at one bird per 3 square feet of usable coop floor space.
- Coops and runs are subject to periodic inspection by the Health Officer.
What about ducks?
Only with a Board of Health license. Old Tappan's license rule covers all live poultry and fowl, and its code defines poultry to include ducks, so the same $50 license and setbacks apply.
§§ 265-13, 265-14; § 259-15B (Poultry): "No person shall keep or maintain any live poultry, or fowl, even for noncommercial purposes, without first having obtained a license or permit for that purpose from the Board" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Borough of Old Tappan?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Bergen County and all of New Jersey, sized to your flock and built to your town's rules.
In an HOA? The town allowing hens is not the same as your association allowing them. What an HOA can and cannot stop.
New to this? Start with how to raise chickens in NJ, or what a coop costs.
Chicken rules in nearby Bergen County towns
Compare them side by side in the Bergen County table.
Ready to keep your flock safe?
Tell us about your animals and your land. We'll design a coop built to last, on-site, just for you.